The Air Force awards the Air Force Cross to Staff Sgt. Zachary J. Rhyner, a combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., for his heroic actions during a 6.5 battle in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley on April 6, 2008. Rhyner, who was a senior airman at the time of the battle, is the third living Air Force Cross recipient from the Global War on Terrorism and the only living combat controller to receive the Air Force Cross.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.